The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary » Craig Krenzelhttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com
An Ohio State blog for the Buckeye fan in all of us.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 00:10:12 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1Wednesday Night Rumble: GAME WEEK!http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/wednesday-night-rumble-game-week.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wednesday-night-rumble-game-week
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/wednesday-night-rumble-game-week.html#commentsWed, 28 Aug 2013 20:00:25 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=36879We did it! We made it! We trudged through the winter, hammered through the spring and waded our way through the majority of summer and we have finally come to it: Football is upon us. While we yearn for the cool fall nights and big time matchups that come with October, November and now December […]

]]>We did it! We made it! We trudged through the winter, hammered through the spring and waded our way through the majority of summer and we have finally come to it: Football is upon us. While we yearn for the cool fall nights and big time matchups that come with October, November and now December games, we’re more than happy to welcome in 80+ degree temps for a few weeks and sweat through the opening weekends of college football. Despite the worthiness of opponents, these are meaningful games that count in the standings and they begin on Saturday. But for now it’s Wednesday, let’s rumble!

Customs and traditions

This guy is on top of things. Will you be ready on Saturday?

Are you ready? No, I mean are you really ready for it? Did you spend last weekend or the early part of this week getting the necessities for your opening weekend prepped, planned and bought? Or are you one of those “last minute” folks that will wait until Thursday or (good Lord!) Friday evening to have the ship ready to sail?

What am I talking about? Well, I have a checklist that is broken down into two separate checklists.

Checklist 1: The week before

This list contains mostly paraphernalia and the like. It includes making sure that not only is the Buckeye flag that fly’s year round on the porch standing with perfection but adding the “in season” flag. The week before checklist reminds me that I have to make sure and dig out any gear that has been stored away for superstition purposes that can only be wore on game days and make sure that it is properly cleaned (or in some cases it is blasphemous to even consider cleaning it) and ready for use.

It reminds me to make sure all Buckeye blankets are properly placed throughout the house. It’s my list not yours.

Checklist 1 also brings attention to travel needs for road trips whether they be to the Olentangy River Road parking lots or to some venomous away stadium. Is the portable grille’s propane tank full and is there a backup? Are the drink and food coolers cleaned? You don’t want to have to deal with this stuff during game week. Get it done early, ergo checklist 1.

Checklist 2: The week of

This list will typically stay out for the duration of the season and act as a party planning tip sheet. Whether the show is going on the road or staying at the homestead, this list provides suitable food and drink options for a viewing that involves anywhere from 10-20 people in the living room to 8-10 or more in the aforementioned parking lots.

This list also reminds me about some of my favorite programs so I don’t miss them. The Urban Meyer call-in show returns, as does Buckeye Roundtable on 97.1 in Columbus. Of course, you have to make sure and note the BBC Radio Hour as a “can’t miss” each week.

Now comes decision time: Are we going with heroes and grinders for pregame or do we want to open the season with hot wings and chilli or some type of stew? I think while the weather is warm we’ll go the sandwich route, save the hot stuff for when the temps begin to drop.

What are some of your traditions and what is on your checklist? Tell me about it in the comment sections below!

Nerves of steel

I never played college football. I had the chance to play at the division 2 level and passed to stay home and attend Youngstown State. You win some and you lose some.

Craig Krenzel was always cool and in control

While I am getting older, the memories remain (see what I did there, Metallica fans) of my own playing days and the time I spent as a youth football coach. Sometimes on the nights before big games I lay in bed and imagine a big game I played in or coached in. I swear it feels so real, the feelings just come rushing back like it was yesterday. I get the butterflies and the rundown of “are we as prepared as we can be” or “did I do all I could do to be ready for this battle tomorrow” in my head. I’m just getting up in the morning, feeding the dog and watching a game. Yet here I am laying wide awake imagining what it must be like to be involved in something as huge as Ohio State football. I lose sleep and I love every second of it.

I remember walking out on the field at Struthers High School. We had a locker room that was part underground and part under the visiting permanent concrete stands. There was a stairway that brought us up from under the ground onto the track that circled the field. This stairway literally emerged from the center of the visiting stands, right in front of the entire visiting crowd and behind the visiting bench where on most occasions the visiting team had already made their way to.

When the door at the bottom of those stairs opened and we walked up the corridor onto the track, there was no sound. People were booing and hissing, the opponent was standing there staring us down, and yet there was no sound. It wasn’t until we made our way down the sideline into the endzone in front of our band shelter that sound would suddenly flood into the ear-holes of your helmet. When the home crowd and student section were in plain sight, standing and chanting, waiting for the fight song to play and us to take the field.

Those are moments I’ll never forget. And they were on the field playing for a division 3 high school team in northeast Ohio. It makes me think about the absolute nerves of steel it has to take to walk down the ramp, emerge from under the red hood into the endzone, hear The Best Damn Band In The Land explode into Across The Field and trot onto the surface of Ohio Stadium along side some of the finest athletes in the country with 105,000 people roaring.

Now imagine you’re Dontre Wilson. The hype of your decision on where to go to school. Finally getting to school and making a name for yourself in fall camp. Having writers all over the country (yes, the country) talk about your speed and how you may be the top freshman in the country this this year that nobody is talking about, until now. During this week you’re told by two time National Champion head coach Urban Meyer that after making the jog onto the field in your first game as a Buckeye you have a 50/50 shot that you’ll be on the field for the very first play returning the opening kickoff.

Imagine wearing the scarlet and grey and walking out into this…

How much sleep are you getting on Friday night?

What is amazing is these kids, yes kids, step up and play the role. They walk out there and channel the juice into a positive energy and let it flow when they touch the field. Ask yourself and answer honestly: Could you do it? If you had to God given athletic ability, could you step up on that stage and perform at the high level we expect these guys to?

I wonder sometimes if being young is to their advantage? Perhaps since they are kids and they haven’t had the life experiences we have as adults and therefore maybe aren’t affected in the same way we would be if put in that exact situation right now. That’s not in anyway a negative, more the advantage to being young and naive.

Me personally, I loved the big show. The more people in the stands the better I played. The higher the stakes the more jacked I was to get it on. But that was at Struthers High School in the suburbs of Youngstown. I’d like to tell you that (if I had the ability) I’d have done the same at a major college program like Ohio State. Fact is, I’ll never know. Most of us will never know. And that’s one of the reasons why these kids are so special to us.They’re getting that opportunity and proving they can handle it. And they’re doing it in the colors of our favorite school.

Sure, they’re kids, but I admire the hell out of them. Nerves of steel, man. Nerves of steel.

Quick hitters

The depth chart for the Buffalo game was released on Tuesday. It still lists Jordan Hall, as expected, as the starter at tailback. However, word through the grapevine and various credible sources is that Warren Ball should see the bulk of the carries from the tailback position with Hall playing the H and being lined up all over the field. Let the “Jordan Hall – Percy Harvin” comparisons begin.

I expect to see Freshman all over the place. Look for Mike Mitchell, Vonn Bell, Dontre Wilson, Ezekial Elliot, Cam Burrows, Eli Apple and several others to see lots of time against the Bulls. In his second season at Florida, Urban Meyer famously rode a freshman class led by Tim Tebow to a national championship in the 2006 season much to our despair. He is looking to do it again in 2013, make no mistake about it. While there is no Tebow, expect freshman to play a huge part in the chase for 8.

Go to YouTube and search “Virginia Tech Enter Sandman”… just do it

Chris Fields is listed as the starter at H. While he will see action there and very well may be the first guy on the field to line up in the position, I can’t see him being effective enough at the spot to keep Jordan Hall at tailback and the cast of young running backs on the sidelines. Unless Fields has made huge strides this offseason and is the best kept secret in the Big Ten… Hmmm…

The game in 2015 at Lane Stadium against Virginia Tech will be a night game (no surprise) and will be part of the ACC’s opening weekend Labor Day something or other series. What is the big surprise is that the game is going to be played on Labor Day night. So, the Buckeyes will open 2015 on Monday Night Football. Cost be damned, I will be in Blacksburg to see this one in person.

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @ScriptOhio! As always, I’ll be tweeting pregame thoughts, halftime likes/dislikes and adjustments along with postgame thoughts. And every now and then I’ll send out a tweet actually during the game itself if something really demands it.

Wrap it up

I knew we could make it. We just had to stick together and stay strong for one another and the time would pass quickly. It’s been since The Game on November 24th of last year that we saw our Buckeyes in action in a game that mattered. Saturday they come back with a 12 game winning streak and the biggest stakes of all on the line: The chase for 8. It’s going to be a fun season. Until next week, Go Bucks!

Metallica track of the week
It’s the start of a new season. Speed is one of the topics being mostly associated with Ohio State and their influx of talent under Urban Meyer. What better way to get it rolling than to go back to last summer in Atlantic City for Metallica’s tribute to speed, live from Orion Music and More 2012 here is Fuel!

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/wednesday-night-rumble-game-week.html/feed3tBBC Kickoff Countdown Celebrates 10http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-11-2.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-11-2
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-11-2.html#commentsWed, 21 Aug 2013 20:00:23 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=36639The 2002 season was filled with many close games that came down to the wire but only one of them ended due to a play so spectacular that it earned its own nickname. On November 9th, 2002, the second ranked Ohio State Buckeyes rolled into West Lafayette to face the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue entered the […]

Craig Krenzel prepares to make the throw that would go down in history.

The 2002 season was filled with many close games that came down to the wire but only one of them ended due to a play so spectacular that it earned its own nickname.On November 9th, 2002, the second ranked Ohio State Buckeyes rolled into West Lafayette to face the Purdue Boilermakers.Purdue entered the game with a 4-5 (2-3 conference) record and nobody expected the epic game that was about to unfold.

Purdue got off to a good start, moving the ball well and getting deep into Ohio State territory before Dustin Fox intercepted a Kyle Orton pass to end the scoring threat.Neither team did anything with the ball for the next few possessions until Craig Krenzel was intercepted, giving the Boilermakers the ball deep in Buckeye territory; fortunately the OSU defense held strong and limited Purdue to a field goal to go up 3-0 late in the first quarter.The Buckeye offense finally showed signs of life in the second quarter and with the clock running down and no timeouts left, Mike Nugent and the special teams unit hurried onto the field to kick a field goal as time expired in the first half.

The third quarter was a slugfest with neither team really able to move the ball with great success and both teams just exchanging punts.Purdue finally broke the scoring drought early in the fourth quarter with a field goal to go up 6-3 with just under eight minutes remaining.The two teams traded punts on their next possessions and OSU got the ball back with just over three minutes remaining and the Boilermaker fans starting to believe that they were about to pull off a huge upset.That belief only grew after OSU lost 4 yards on their next two plays; Craig Krenzel then hit Ben Hartsock for a 13 yard gain to setup 4th and 1 and history.Every Buckeye fan knows what came next, as OSU fans expected a running play, Krenzel instead dropped back and hit Michael Jenkins for a 37 yard touchdown that would forever be known as ‘Holy Buckeye’.After Purdue went four and out on the next drive, it was all over as the Buckeyes claimed a 10-6 victory to move on to 11-0 for the fourth time in history and place themselves only one game away from the national title game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=julW9Eroqcw

I remembering being at the game, sitting near the Purdue student section thanks to a friend of mine in the Purdue marching band who thought it would be funny to get me a ticket there.As it turns out, I had the last laugh, joining the other Buckeye fans in attendance in celebrating and then enjoying the scene in the West Lafayette bars the rest of the night as ESPN repeatedly kept showing highlights of the game.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-11-2.html/feed2tBBC Kickoff Countdown Celebrates 44http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-44.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-44
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-44.html#commentsThu, 18 Jul 2013 16:00:20 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=35307Over the course of its long history, Ohio Stadium has played host to numerous memorable games, many of which have been or will be highlighted as part of our countdown to the 2013 season. Surprisingly, despite all the major games that happened over the years, it took the stadium until its 81st year of existence […]

Over the course of its long history, Ohio Stadium has played host to numerous memorable games, many of which have been or will be highlighted as part of our countdown to the 2013 season.Surprisingly, despite all the major games that happened over the years, it took the stadium until its 81st year of existence to host a game that went to overtime but when it finally happened, it was a doozy.On a warm, sunny September 13th, 2003 Ohio State, coming off of its thrilling national championship season and ranked third in the country, hosted 22nd ranked North Carolina State.

Ohio State got off to a great start to the game, scoring 14 points in a span of 44 seconds in the first quarter.After Michael Jenkins hauled in a 44 yard touchdown pass from Craig Krenzel, North Carolina State suffered a miscue on the ensuing kickoff as their two deep returners ran into each other as the ball bounced off one of their helmets and was recovered on the 3 yard line by Will Allen; it would take three plays before Lydell Ross bowled his way into the endzone to give the Buckeyes a 14-0 lead.A Wolfpack touchdown right before halftime made it a one score game but the Buckeyes responded by scoring the first 10 points of the second half to take a 24-7 lead with eleven and a half minutes remaining in the game.

Things were looking good for OSU but at this point North Carolina State’s Phillip Rivers decided to display the talent that would lead to him being selected fourth in the 2004 draft while the Buckeyes committed a series of costly miscues.The Wolfpack began their comeback thanks to Santonio Holmes fumbling a punt which was recovered at the OSU 19 yard line by Jerricho Cotchery; four plays later Rivers hit Cotchery for a 9 yard touchdown.Ohio State’s next possession also went poorly as Krenzel was intercepted and NC State took over at the Buckeye 12 yard line; the Buckeye defense would hold the Wolfpack to only a field goal but suddenly it was a one score game with just under six minutes remaining.OSU would go three and out on their next possession and North Carolina State took advantage, going 86 yards through the air to tie the game at 24 and force overtime.

Both teams scored touchdowns in the first two overtimes and Ohio State got the ball to start the third overtime.Just as they had done to start the scoring, Krenzel and Jenkins hooked up for a 7 yard touchdown pass but a failed two point conversion attempt opened the door for North Carolina State.After a pair of OSU penalties gave the Wolfpack a first and goal at the 9 yard line, Buckeye fans were growing nervous.The Buckeye defense responded though, drawing energy from the crowd to come up with several crucial stops, culminating I stuffing running back T.A. McLendon just short of the goal line on fourth and one to give OSU the thrilling victory in the first overtime game in Ohio Stadium’s history.

In today’s edition, we celebrate number 55, specifically Ohio State’s 31-24 multiple overtime win over the Miami Hurricanes Thugs on January 3rd, 2003 in the (Tostitos) Fiesta Bowl for The National Championship. Nothing mythical about this one. The double-digit underdog Buckeyes showed a tenacity and athleticism that surprised many (national) collegiate football fans. However, True Believers, such as us, pretty much knew how this game would end up.

In fact, as I write this, I have the game DVD playing, on mute of course, since Dan Fouts is such a jackass and Keith Jackson was well beyond his “whoa Nellie” days. Fouts was jones’ing so much for a Miami win.. suck it Dan.

This was as gritty performance by any Buckeye team, particularly QB Craig Krenzel. I’ll forego the stats for this game, since there weren’t any outstanding numbers other than Craig Krenzel’s 2 TD’s and Maurice Clarett’s 2 TD’s.

And thus, it was over, the season completed at 14-0 and let the celebrations begin. Special shout-out to Cie Grant of New Philadelphia, OH. A lad from Tuscarawas County seals the National Championship for Ohio State. In the previous link, Cie showed his guns; here he shows his pipes. O-Hi-O.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-55.html/feed0tBBC Kickoff Countdown Celebrates 56http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-56.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-56
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-56.html#commentsSat, 06 Jul 2013 22:53:20 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=34859In today’s edition, we celebrate number 56, specifically Ohio State’s 33-23 win over Michigan State on November 8th, 2003. The defending national champion Buckeyes were enroute to an 11-2 season when they hosted Michigan State Spartans. This game had ‘Jim Tressel’ written all over it. Two of OSU’s TD’s came via passes to the tight […]

In today’s edition, we celebrate number 56, specifically Ohio State’s 33-23 win over Michigan State on November 8th, 2003. The defending national champion Buckeyes were enroute to an 11-2 season when they hosted Michigan State Spartans. This game had ‘Jim Tressel’ written all over it. Two of OSU’s TD’s came via passes to the tight ends (Hartsock, Hamby), Mike Nugent kicked 4 field goals and the defense picked off two Jeff Smoker passes. Good times in Tresselville.

Craig Krenzel had a good day(12-24 for 213 yards, 3 TD’s, 1 Int), as did Lydell Ross (24 carries, 125 yards). For MSU, Jeff Smoker had (statistically) a good day of 35-55 (where’s the liniment?) and 2 TD’s, which was fortunate for them, since the Spartans rushing attack attempts yielded net of 5 yards on 17 carries. In basketball parlance, those would be empty possessions…

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/tbbc-kickoff-countdown-celebrates-56.html/feed0DRIVEN Basketball: Marysville High School Benefithttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/admin/miscellaneous/driven-basketball-marysville-high-school-benefit.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=driven-basketball-marysville-high-school-benefit
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/admin/miscellaneous/driven-basketball-marysville-high-school-benefit.html#commentsTue, 23 Apr 2013 13:03:07 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=33503If there’s one thing I have learned officiating two of DRIVEN’s events, it’s that the former Buckeyes involved are just as competitive now as they were when they played. A few are just recently removed from their playing days for the Scarlet and Gray and the others? Well, they all hail from the National Championship Buckeyes and […]

If there’s one thing I have learned officiating two of DRIVEN’s events, it’s that the former Buckeyes involved are just as competitive now as they were when they played. A few are just recently removed from their playing days for the Scarlet and Gray and the others? Well, they all hail from the National Championship Buckeyes and a couple stole the show Friday night at Marysville High School

The night began with a dinner of fellowship with the former Buckeyes and their guests. Some of the players brought family with them and some just brought themselves. After the eating and hobnobbing finished, the emcee for the evening, Pastor Steve Rouch began a question and answer session with each player asking them all about where they went to high school and how they became a Buckeye;what it meant to be a Buckeye; what was their favorite memory, and why DRIVEN.

One of my favorites during the dinner Nate Oliver, HUGE DRIVEN supporter and works with FCA

Some of the answers for favorite memory really boiled down to all of the players there being a part of the National Championship season. Some had other answers that were specific to certain plays and Pastor Rouch asked Craig Krenzel about the Holy Buckeye play at Purdue. Before Craig responded to the play he wanted everybody to know just how underrated a WR Michael Jenkins was.

The dinner finished with a great discussion and inspirational message from DRIVEN VP Antonio Smith. Antonio talked about the fact that he was a walk-on the same year as Roy Hall and nobody knew who he was. He finished his career as a scholarship player and All-B1G cover man, and ended up in Indianapolis where he really developed his relationship with Roy and helped start DRIVEN. He’s one of my favorite success stories from Ohio State football history.

Antonio with Pastor Steve Rouch

Lori Schmidt of The Fan did the toss and she put it up perfectly so only Roy could get it against Andy Groom! GREAT JOB LORI!

The game itself was definitely a tale of two halves. White controlled the tempo early and was winning the battle on the boards. There was one former Buckeye that clearly wasn’t happy with my officiating performance Mid-way through the first quarter, Stanley Jackson took my whistle from me, blew it and proclaimed “SEE! It works!!”. The crowd had a good laugh and I immediately became the target of all the hecklers. Fans yelled things like “C’mon Curly, blow your whistle!” to “If you’d get the hair out of your eyes you’d be able to see better!”. To say the least, my partners, Lori Schmidt from 97.1 The Fan, and Gary Russell didn’t have to worry about much of the flack, as it was slung my way!

Right after he took my whistle and blew it, best laugh of the night

Gary keeping an I on things as Stanley Jackson begins a drive.

The white team was led by Andy Groom, Craig Krenzel, Stanley Jackson and local community leader Ken Chaffin and jumped out to a 44 to 35 halftime lead. The scoreboard operator messed with the white at halftime by changing the score to 44-44 while the players enjoyed an extended break signing autographs.

Great signing session at halftime and a HUGE line!

There was a great crowd on hand as well as several youngsters that enjoyed their time with the players. A couple were given an opportunity to shoot free throws for players.

Stanley was too winded to shoot FT’s so he picked this kid out of the stands and he sank both of them!

The second half was all Black team and the onslaught was led by Roy Hall’s former high school coach Jed Dunn who coaches in Arizona now and played at Akron. Jed definitely still has what it takes to play today and displayed some ball handling skills that gave the white team fits.

They didn’t keep stats for the game, but I guarantee you had more than 20 points and was close to 10 assists as well. As is usually the case when I officiate DRIVEN events, the boss gets the calls! Roy shot several free throws on the night taking it to the rim and #PhiSlammaDRIVEN was present too.

#PhiSlammaDRIVEN

Late in the game even the Buck-I-Guy got into the act coming all the way out on the court to protest a call against Craig Krenzel.

Was NOT this happy when the call against Krenzel was made.

The Black team won the game 89 to 75, but the real winners are the pay for play program at Marysville high school and those who benefit from the DRIVEN Foundation. Roy, Antonio, Josselyn, and the several hundred others who help, have made this foundation very special. I for one am very proud to be involved in the events and to be a member of the DRIVEN Offensive Line. Please do your part if you can and help those who need it!

Some of the possible future players at Marysville who could benefit from the pay for play scholarships generated from this event. Save for Buck-I-Guy and Marysville’s head coach!

Huge thank you from DRIVEN to ALL participants especially the former Buckeyes and community leaders who played! HUGE Thank you to the Marysville HS coaching staff and support staff for their work to help make this even happen Friday. It was definitely a family friendly night as evidenced by those who attended and the players that brought their kids!

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/admin/miscellaneous/driven-basketball-marysville-high-school-benefit.html/feed12Haters Gonna Hate. Why?http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/haters-gonna-hate-why.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=haters-gonna-hate-why
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/haters-gonna-hate-why.html#commentsFri, 03 Jun 2011 22:30:51 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=15121I know that is a very loaded title, but I feel it best suits my current thoughts. I understand the Mark May’s and Desmond Howard’s of the world taking every chance they get to smear the Ohio State University and our transgressions- they have been waiting for this day for so long. We have been […]

]]>I know that is a very loaded title, but I feel it best suits my current thoughts.

It is what it is...

I understand the Mark May’s and Desmond Howard’s of the world taking every chance they get to smear the Ohio State University and our transgressions- they have been waiting for this day for so long. We have been a top program for the last decade and America likes to see the giant fall.

If it was Michigan, Florida, Texas, Oregon, Auburn we would probably jump on that train as well; unless you are of the opinion those that live in glass houses don’t throw stones. Those are the haters that you brush off though, because they always do so out of spite and dislike and they never go away. It hurts sometimes to be the brunt of jokes, but get back to doing what we should be and everything will be fine.

What is hard to fathom is how we handle our own. How many ex-Buckeye players, media, or fans have you heard badmouth Coach Tressel and Terrelle Pryor, for example? Or what about “snitching” or calling for the heads of your own president to be turned over on a silver platter? I completely understand some constructive criticism, but comments like “fake buckeye”, “I hate so and so”, “This player should be kicked off the team”, etc. coming from our own fans hurt.

That kind of response makes us the brunt of more jokes because we are shooting our own wounded. That gives people the thought that if your own don’t like you and think those things then they must be true. It becomes more of an embarrasement of our university than anything else. To have a twitter fight between our Qb and an alum talking head in the media? To have Ray Small, Rob Rose, etc come out and say “Yeah we did that, Why wouldn’t we?”- That makes it out to be like it is worse than it is.

Rumor has it that we had our own board members and people in position who were supporting Coach Tressel turn their back on him. Tressel gave so much to this university, community, and to groom these young men that it is hard for me to swallow that all of the people that loved all of these things could turn their back on him in a time of turmoil. No celebration of his career, making him walk in the back door of the WHAC to meet with his team.

If one listens to 95% of his former players like Beanie Wells, Malcolm Jenkins, Chimdi Chekwa your hear what type of man Tressel was- and he was not a liar and a cheater. Chekwa actually tweeted that Tress didn’t just lead him, but gave him a roadmap for life.

Mike Adams is another example. He came here thinking he was larger than life, almost got kicked off the team, and I believe the young man is turning out to be another success story of Tressel’s (in spite of his suspension for a decision he made as a sophomore). Troy Smith is another- He made the mistake early in his career, and turned out great.

Where would these kids be if not for Jim? There aren’t many out there like him. There are other football coaches that can win games, but the great things he did to teach these young men about life, to get the graduation rate up, the GPA up, were uncanny.

I think everyone is disappointed in Tress, but his greatest strength is also his weakness. He always wanted to give the young men the ability to make mistakes, but also then teach them not by embarrassing them in the media, but keeping it in the family so to speak. I truly don’t believe he did the cover-up or whatever you want to call it because he was worried about winning football games.

Now let me talk about the comment I heard on 97.1 the other day from fans that were words of hate towards Pryor. Now I completely understand the disappointment in Pryor, I understand that some may even be as frustrated to make a comment about I wouldn’t be largely dissappointed if Pryor leaves and goes to the supplemental Draft. But we need to remember that Pryor didn’t come from a great home, he is still a young man and while we want him to be the perfect superstar, to speak eloquently to the media, to help starving kids in Africa like Tim Tebow, to be in the film room till 10PM and then to his “regular rate” apartment for bed we have to remember that he is is still learning life lessons, and some of them are hard to swallow for fans.

To insult his IQ, to say you hate TP, that is strong; especially coming from our own. It is easy for those to get on their moral high horse and criticize but as JT would probably tell you not all young men are the same. Terrelle Pryor was probably a lot more work than say Craig Krenzel, but some don’t learn as quickly as others, don’t come from the same background and that was where Tress was able to work with these kids off the football field.

And yet, these are the same fans, media, etc that couldn’t have been more excited when Pryor chose tOSU, when he scores a TD, or if he were to autograph a football for them.

And that’s not even to mention the student athletes who were wrongly identified in the Sports Illustrated article- what response should we now have for them?

Look, I understand that people don’t like negative press, we would all like this to go far far away, we would like to see Pryor keep a low profile like the others, but us knocking our own is not going to allow that to happen.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/national-championship-winning-quarterback-days-left.html/feed12Top 25 Buckeyes of the Decade: #13 Craig Krenzelhttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/top-25-buckeyes-of-the-decade-13-craig-krenzel.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-25-buckeyes-of-the-decade-13-craig-krenzel
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/top-25-buckeyes-of-the-decade-13-craig-krenzel.html#commentsMon, 19 Jul 2010 15:20:16 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=6002The Buckeye Battle Cry will be counting down the Top 25 players of the past decade all spring/summer. Every Monday and Thursday, Jim will be announcing a new player. Our #1 player will be presented on Monday, August 30th. Three days later, the 2010 season officially begins. To view the previous entries in our Top […]

]]>The Buckeye Battle Cry will be counting down the Top 25 players of the past decade all spring/summer. Every Monday and Thursday, Jim will be announcing a new player. Our #1 player will be presented on Monday, August 30th. Three days later, the 2010 season officially begins. To view the previous entries in our Top 25, click here.

Craig Krenzel (2002-2003)

Craig Krenzel is the quarterback that finally led Ohio State to the promised land, captaining the team to a national title in 2002 for the first time since 1968.

His unbelievable performances in the clutch made for some heart-attack inducing victories, but a win is a win, and Krenzel’s 24-3 record as a starter speaks for itself.

Krenzel was known as a “game manager,” meaning that he usually wasn’t going to win a game for you by himself, but he was always able to put the team in a position to win by moving the ball down the field when it mattered and avoiding costly turnovers.

Plays like “Holy Buckeye” and the 4th and 14 conversion in the first over time of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl show the when it was crunch time, Krenzel got the job done.

Despite Krenzel’s undeniable ability to perform in the clutch and the fact that his play was always gutsy, he was never flashy or exciting, which is almost certainly why he finds himself at #13 on this list rather than in the top 5.

Even though Krenzel’s reputation as a game manager will stick with him forever, his 4,493 career passing yards are the 9th most all-time at Ohio State and both of his seasons as a starter were top 15 for passing yards by a Buckeye. Throw in two Fiesta Bowl MVPs and if we re-did our voting for this countdown and I think I would bump Krenzel up a little bit higher on my list.

Krenzel was drafted in the 5th round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. He went 3-2 as a starter as a rookie before sustaining a season ending ankle injury.

In 2005 he was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals and spent the year as the third string QB. An elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery ended his football career in 2006.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Krenzel’s work in the classroom. He graduated with a degree in molecular genetics and was an Academic All-American in 2003.

Krenzel is still active in the Columbus sports scene and can be heard from time to time on 97.1 The Fan as a commentator, mostly during football season.

For representing Ohio State with the utmost class and character in the classroom and on the field as a player and to this day, for leading Ohio State to the promised land in 2002 with ice in his veins, for two Fiesta Bowl MVPs, for a 24-3 record as a starter, and for putting up surprisingly good stats over his career for a “game manager,” Craig Krenzel is #13 on our list of the top 25 Buckeyes of the last decade.

]]>http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/top-25-buckeyes-of-the-decade-13-craig-krenzel.html/feed8Craig Krenzel's year of miracleshttp://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-football-history/craig-krenzels-year-of-miracles.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=craig-krenzels-year-of-miracles
http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/ohio-state-football-history/craig-krenzels-year-of-miracles.html#commentsThu, 20 Aug 2009 10:00:33 +0000http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/?p=1766There was absolutely no doubt about who our honored guest would be for Day #16. The legendary season of 2002 was all we ever needed to see in order to make the name Craig Krenzel a household name throughout the glorious state of Ohio. We could start a poll and try to select a play […]

]]>There was absolutely no doubt about who our honored guest would be for Day #16. The legendary season of 2002 was all we ever needed to see in order to make the name Craig Krenzel a household name throughout the glorious state of Ohio.

4-touchdown underdogs never looked so sweet

We could start a poll and try to select a play from the 2002 National Championship season that truly encompasses the magnificent year that Krenzel and the Buckeyes had….but no single play could ever do it justice. Yes, Holy Buckeye would win that poll, but there were at least 10 other plays that will still bring a tear to my eye.

As a matter of fact, there were so many ridiculous plays from that season, I actually had to break out my list of box scores from 2002 to see if I missed anything.

Two plays will always stand out in my mind as the best possible result for Buckeye fans. Let’s jump in the Way-Back Machine for this journey.

Play #1 – November 16th, 2002 -Ohio State is 11-0 heading into a showdown with Illinois. Traditionally, Illinois always gives us problems. Being the game before Michigan Week just made this game extra-extra-scary. Letdowns happen, as many Buckeye fans will attest.

The Illini have again shown us that they are for real, and they will not go away quietly. Their defense has been tenacious and Krenzel has had a hard time throwing the ball successfully. With 8 minutes to play in the game, Ohio State has a precarious 16-13 lead and a tough 3rd-down-and-9 situation at the Illinois 35.

Krenzel went into the shotgun formation and took the snap. He dropped back a few steps, got happy feet and retreated to the 45, where he was being surrounded. One defender came at him hard from his left, while another grabbed his right arm. They spun him around a full rotation and the Illinois crowd roared for the apparent sack.

But Krenzel didn’t go down. The spin move he was forced into actually freed him from his opponents’ grasp, and he stumbled a few feet as he ran towards the left side of the field. He regained his form and picked up speed as he approached the first down marker, and was hit at the 28. His momentum carried him over the 25 for a huge first down, as WR Chris Vance pumped his fist into the air near the end of the play.

Watch the play here – it’s the second play in this short highlight film;

Play #2 – November 9th, 2002 - Ohio State is at Purdue, and they’re in big trouble. On what would most likely be their final chance with the ball, the Buckeyes take possession at the Purdue 46-yard-line, trailing 6-3. Ohio State loses four yards on their first two plays. On 3rd-and-14, Krenzel escapes pressure and finds TE Ben Hartsock for a 13-yard gain at Purdue’s 37. Facing 4th-and-1 on the road, and more pressure than any team should ever experience, Jim Tressel did something NONE of us thought he would do. He sent in a pass play.

The sold-out crowd was erupting. The Boilermaker whistle was blowing loudly. Two full fan bases were facing heart attacks as the players approached the line of scrimmage.

The rest of the story is summed up in two words from the lips of Brent Musburger…..”Holy Buckeye”.

Watch the final two plays here and feel the excitement;

If you’re not getting tears in your eyes right now, you’re not human. Or you’re not a Buckeye fan.

Craig Krenzel had ice water in his veins every single week. He will never be listed among the greatest quarterbacks of all-time at Ohio State, but for 14 straight games, he never let us down. In the end, he earned his biggest title of all – Champion.